Polaroid (2019) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The Polaroid camera captures a dark shadow in the background of the photograph, which indicates that the subject will die. The shadow appears progressively closer to the person as their death draws nearer. When the shadow fully encompasses them in the photo, that person becomes the next victim of the entity.

• polaroid camera
• shadow
• death prediction
• cursed photos

Roland Joseph Sable was a photography teacher at a school who developed a dark reputation after several of his students died under tragic circumstances. His vengeful spirit became the malevolent entity that haunts the cursed camera. He is the father of Rebecca Sable, the camera's original owner.

• roland joseph sable
• photography teacher
• entity
• spirit

The camera kills because Roland Joseph Sable's vengeful spirit uses it as a conduit for revenge against those connected to the traumatic events that led to his death. The spirit targets people who possess or use the camera, fulfilling his need for retribution.

• cursed camera
• revenge
• killings
• spirit

Sarah is the first character to discover the camera among her late mother's belongings. After taking a provocative photo of herself, she sees a shadow in the picture and later hears strange noises from the attic. She is ultimately killed offscreen when she encounters the entity while investigating the sounds.

• sarah
• first victim
• attic
• killed

Bird tricks the entity into a location where it can 'fully develop' - meaning she creates a situation that allows the spirit to manifest completely. She then fights the entity directly and destroys it, breaking the curse. She and her surviving friends dispose of the camera to ensure the dark legacy ends.

• bird
• defeat entity
• climax
• battle

'Fully develop' refers to the process of a photograph developing completely. Bird uses this concept metaphorically - she leads the entity to a place where it can manifest fully in the physical world, which is actually its weakness. Once fully developed, she is able to destroy it.

• fully develop
• photograph
• camera
• cursed

Tyler is killed by the entity because he gave the cursed camera to Bird. Anyone who possesses or handles the camera becomes a target. As the shadow appeared in Tyler's photo, he became the next victim of Roland's spirit.

• tyler
• death
• killed
• camera owner

Rebecca Sable was the daughter of Roland Joseph Sable and the original owner of the cursed Polaroid camera. She was bullied at school and died tragically, which drove her father into madness and transformed him into the vengeful spirit that now haunts the camera.

• rebecca sable
• daughter
• bullying
• original owner

The shadow moves to indicate who will be the next victim. When someone dies, the shadow shifts to another person's photograph, typically someone who has used or come into contact with the camera. This pattern continues until the curse is broken.

• shadow
• death prediction
• next victim
• photos

Bird breaks the curse by confronting and destroying the entity itself. After learning about Roland Joseph Sable's history and discovering his connection to the camera, she lures the spirit into a trap and kills it. The camera is then disposed of, ending the cycle of death.

• curse broken
• destroy entity
• end cycle
• dispose camera

Avery is one of Bird's friends who becomes targeted by the entity after the shadow shifts to his photo. Following Tyler's death, Avery meets an even more gruesome fate, becoming another victim of the cursed camera's deadly cycle.

• avery
• death
• victim
• gruesome

Sheriff Pembroke has a connection to the violent past involving Roland Joseph Sable and the tragic school events. His involvement is revealed during Bird and her friends' investigation into the camera's history, and he becomes part of the confrontation with the entity.

• sheriff pembroke
• connection
• past
• investigation